Research Methodology

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Research Model

The model, shown in Figure 1, adopts the view that a variety of environmental, organizational and personal factors serve as antecedents to perceptions and attitudes regarding eCommerce. Environmental factors are defined within the context of structural conditions that exhibit a strong influence on eCommerce development including electronic payment systems, government regulations, legal issues, and telecommunications. Organizational factors, namely, managerial leadership, commitment, and support, influence the level of technology adoption as well as the behavior of employees in the organization (Agarwal, 2000). Innovation and diffusion of technology requires active leadership and vision by top corporate leaders who are willing to commit scarce resources (Agarwal, 2000). Of equal importance is the influence of executive support and leadership in advocating the use and acceptance of eCommerce. Personal factors pertain to an individual's knowledge of IT and eCommerce as well as information received through communication with colleagues.

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Figure 1: Research Model.

The core of the model examines perceptions about eCommerce, which are measured through the following variables:

  • Usefulness-The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance (Davis, 1989).

  • Ease of use-The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort (Davis, 1989).

  • Importance-The perception of the degree to which eCommerce will aid or improve business functions.

  • Security-An individual's expectations or trust in using eCommerce

The model postulates that environmental, organizational and personal factors serve as antecedents to perceptions of eCommerce, which in turn, moderate an individual's attitude regarding the implementation and use of eCommerce applications.

Research Design and Sampling Procedure

The study, which targeted MBA students in China, entailed administering an Internet-based questionnaire. Managerial experience is generally a prerequisite for enrollment in Chinese MBA programs; thus, MBA students possess sufficient familiarity with environmental, organizational, and technological factors to provide an accurate profile of Chinese business managers' perceptions and attitudes regarding eCommerce. Other factors contributing to the decision to target this population include:

  • Reports indicating that 95 percent of Chinese MBA students are enrolled part time and hold a managerial position in a corporation (http://www.mba.org.cn, 2000).

  • The status accorded to an MBA degree coupled with the required managerial experience implies that respondents can reasonably be expected to have some impact on the future of eCommerce in China.

  • MBA students are part of generation X, or those born between 1961-1981 (Generation X: Definitions, 2002), and as such represent key players in the new economy in China. Based on their age and education, it is reasonable to assume that this group has a solid understanding of eCommerce.

  • Enrollment in an MBA program is contingent upon successful performance on a rigorous English language capability test; thus, MBA students possess the linguistic ability to read and understand a questionnaire written in English. This point is particularly relevant since technical difficulties hindered efforts to place a viewable Chinese version of the survey questionnaire on the Internet.

Data Collection Procedures

Likert-based rating scales were developed to measure the variables identified in the research model. A small pilot test was conducted to assess the readability of the survey instrument. The instrument was then distributed to five business managers in China. Based on their feedback, slight modifications were made to the terminology. A final version of the Internet survey questionnaire was then designed and published.

A mailing list was prepared by collecting email addresses from MBA web sites in China. The first mailing list included about 530 addresses. An email message was prepared inviting individuals to participate in the study. After nearly 50 percent of the email addresses were returned because of delivery problems, a second mailing list was prepared using email addresses from the most active MBA web sites in China. The second mailing list, which contained approximately 350 addresses, resulted in a 70 percent delivery rate. In total, about 500 emails were successfully delivered for this survey. Sixty-six usable questionnaires were received for a response rate of 13 percent, an acceptable rate given this type of on-line survey. Notably, the low response rate may be attributed to the length of the survey, language barriers, and/or the fact that web server logs indicated some participants encountered technical difficulties in accessing the survey. When a follow-up investigation did not provide any conclusive results, further adjustments were deemed unwarranted, although we believe the response rate is understated.

Data Analysis

In developing a demographic profile of the respondents, Chi-square analysis was used to determine if significant differences existed with regard to perceptions and attitudes toward eCommerce. The fact that no significant differences were found between 1) male and female respondents, 2) age categories, 3) years of experience as an IS user, or 4) hours using the Internet a week, indicates respondents represent a fairly homogeneous group. The aggregated results provide a comprehensive profile of eCommerce use in China by upwardly mobile, well-educated individuals. Demographic information is found in Table 1.

Table 1: Demographics (in %).

Organizational Level

 
  • President/Director

7.8

  • Employee under supervision - Level 1

60.9

  • Employee under supervision - Level 2

31.3

Management Experience (in years)

 
  • More than 10

4.8

  • 6 - 10

20.6

  • 3 - 5

38.1

  • 1 - 3

34.9

  • Less than 1

1.6

Type of Organization

 
  • Manufacturing

40.9

  • Service

36.5

  • Commercial - Wholesale

14.3

  • Commercial - Retail

1.6

  • Government

4.8

Firm's # of Employees

 
  • >10,000

7.8

    • 5,000 - 9,999

4.7

    • 1,000 - 4,999

12.5

      • 500 - 999

7.8

      • 100 - 499

34.4

  • < 100

32.8

Sex

 
  • Male

75.4

  • Female

24.6

Age

 
  • 18 - 24

10.3

  • 25 - 34

82.5

  • > 34

7.2

MBA Concentration

 
  • General Management

24.1

  • Marketing, Sales, Advertising

24.1

  • Finance, Accounting,

8.6

  • Information Technology

25.9

  • Other

17.2

Years Experience as IS User

 
  • > 10

4.8

    • 6 - 10

20.6

    • 3 - 5

38.1

    • 1 - 3

34.9

  • < 1

1.6

Internet Usage - Hours Per Week

 
  • 0 - 1

1.6

  • 2 - 4

9.4

  • 5 - 6

1.6

  • 7 - 9

17.2

  • 10 - 20

34.4

  • 21 - 40

18.8

> 40

17.2

To operationalize managerial perceptions and attitudes, descriptions were developed for each of the constructs included in the research model. These descriptions are found in Tables 2-11. Pearson product/moment correlation analysis was employed to assess the relationship between the research constructs (external, organizational, and personal factors, the perception variables, and attitude) and was derived by calculating the mean of the individual components for each variable. Table 12 contains the results of the correlation analysis, which is limited to those factors that were correlated at a significant level. The Cronbach's alpha for the constructs included in the correlation analysis was 0.7417.



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Advanced Topics in Global Information Management (Vol. 3)
Trust in Knowledge Management and Systems in Organizations
ISBN: 1591402204
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 207

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